The liturgical calendar is a very strange thing...
After Christmas comes 'Holy Innocents' (28th December) so that Herod murders the innocents before the Magi have arrived at epiphany (6th January), and Jesus is a prepubescent boy for 'Holy Family' (the Sunday within the octave of Christmas) before he has been circumcised in the Temple...
Over the next few weeks, we'll look at some of these in a more logical order... epiphany next week, then, over the next few weeks 'blessing', 'bah mitzvah', 'baptism' and then 'behold the man' (not the trial before Pilate, just stealing his words as a tidy, almost alliterative title for 'Jesus starts his ministry').
Today it's a joint service with C of S friends, and their preacher is going to negotiate this strangeness. All I have to do is lead some prayers.
Today it's a joint service with C of S friends, and their preacher is going to negotiate this strangeness. All I have to do is lead some prayers.